That makes the past month the third-driest April since 1937, when meteorologists began keeping records in Danbury.

This lack of rain has manifested itself in forests, which have been on high fire alert for several days. On Friday, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said the danger was very high -- a level that cancels all burning permits.

So far this year, the DEEP said there have been 52 fires, burning 160 acres. One of the largest, in Roxbury, burned 30 acres this week.

State Forester Chris Martin of the DEEP said that threat isn't uniform across the state. In some towns, the trees have leafed out, Martin said. That makes the air more humid and decreases the fire risk.

But in much of the state, Martin said people should be careful.

"One cigarette thrown out a car window could set acres on fire,'' he said. "People should even be careful with their gas grills.''

The dry weather has also made life horrible for allergy sufferers, with pollen counts soaring.

Dr. Ken Backman, chief of allergy medicine at Bridgeport Hospital, said Friday that ordinarily rain is welcome in the spring because it washes pollen out of the air and gives people with allergies a respite.

This April, Backman said, that hasn't happened. It's been bright and sunny, with very low humidity, letting the pollen counts rise.

"My patients are suffering,'' Backman said.

Jacquemin said the dry weather is due to a jet stream that, for most of the month, has run straight across the United States, from west to east. It's carried little rain with it, and driven any costal storms away, he said.

There has also been a strong high pressure system that has been parked over the state for several days, Jacquemin said. That has served as a shield to push dampness away.

In many ways, it's been a great month for being outdoors.

But, Jacquemin said, it's supposed to be much wetter now. The rain that falls in April, he said, builds up water reserves that will be needed later in the year, when summer begins to scorch.

"I've been looking at rivers and ponds and they're much lower than they should be,'' he said.

However, there is a storm building in the Gulf of Mexico that should start heading up the Atlantic Coast next week. By the time it reaches Connecticut, the blocking high pressure system over the state should be gone.

"By Thursday, that could give us a good soaking rain,'' Jacquemin said.